Economic benefits of pioglitazone for treating patients with Type 2 diabetes

Diabetes remains a significant economic burden to national healthcare systems. The traditional oral agents used to treat Type 2 diabetes do not address the underlying insulin resistance responsible for the development of diabetes. Newer medications, such as the thiazolidinediones, have been shown to reverse some of the metabolic processes believed to be responsible for the development of insulin resistance and ultimately, Type 2 diabetes. A comprehensive economic evaluation of pioglitazone using a modelling approach indicates that pioglitazone is a cost-effective therapy for patients with Type 2 diabetes when used in combination with either a sulfonylurea or metformin. This drug profile analyzes the clinical data on the use of piogltiazone for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes and the various economic evaluations of pioglitazone in the literature.